The Hunt
by Dog-lvR-11
Summary: Hamilton Holt would do anything to impress his girlfriend, so when he hears about an oppurtunity to win tickets for her, he eagerly takes hold of it.  That is until he meets the other competitor. Then everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues or anything associated with the series.**

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><p>Hamilton Holt dashed out from his math class, eager to leave. Not just because he was failing math, and not just because he was happy to have narrowly avoided a test that he had to retake, but because he was going to football practice soon. Football always cheered him up. It was some time to get away from his twin siblings that never stopped talking, a moment away from math that never seemed to make sense to him or history that didn't seem relevant- not that he knew what relevant meant, he also wasn't doing well in English. And it was time to just burn some energy and sweat. Not to mention it was one of the only things he was good at...<p>

When he had arrived at his house, he ran to his room to grab his football gear. He glanced at his watch- thirty minutes until football practice. He would have to be quick. He pulled his helmet off the top shelf of his closet, but paused when he realized that his radio was on. As the song finished, Hamilton realized he recognized it. He thought for a second until a thought flashed to mind. Jenn! It was that Jesse McCartney guy that his girlfriend Jenn liked. He smiled.

Jenn was the head cheerleader- a tall, pretty, blonde with a face meant for... well, meant for him, he thought, smugly grinning to himself. Hamilton had met her, obviously, through football and had asked her out after practice one day. They had been dating ever since.

As he walked out of the room, something on the radio caught his attention. He paused in the doorway to listen.

"...Caller number five and caller number ten will both get the oppurtunity to compete in our exclusive Fly FM scavenger hunt. The winner will get two V.I.P tickets to Jesse McCartney's show, complete with memorbilia, and the chance to meet Jesse in person. So pick up your phones and get dialing now!"

Hamilton quickly grabbed his cellphone and dialed the number. He held his breath as Fly FM picked up.

"Congratulations, you are our fifth caller! What's your name?"

"Hamilton. Hamilton Holt," he replied.

"Well Hamilton, you are one of the two lucky callers who will be competing for those two tickets."

"Awesome!"

"Well, thanks for calling. Details about the hunt are on our website."

"Okay, thanks," he said.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Hamilton smirked and hung up. This would be a piece of cake- what could be harder than the hunt for the 39 Clues? Now THAT was a scavenger hunt. He glanced at his watch- 25 minutes left until practise. He snatched up his gear and ran out the door.

_*Timebreak*_

After practice Hamilton hustled over to Jenn, sweaty and smiling. Jenn smiled back but it seemed... forced. Hamilton frowned but his smile returned when he remembered what he was about to tell his girlfriend.

"Guess what?" He asked. Jenn glanced down at her manicured nails and then back up at Hamilton.

"You know I don't guess, Hammy," she replied.

Lines formed on Hamilton's forehead. "Oh, yeah. Well, anyway, guess who got us V.I.P tickets for Jesse McCartney!"

Jenn smiled. "Aww, Hammy, you shouldn't have!"

Hamilton beamed. "But I wanted to! Anything for my girl."

Jenn smiled sweetly at him. "So... where are the tickets?"

"Well, I..."

Jenn's smile faded. "You do have them, right?"

"Well, I have to do some scavenger hunt, but I'll get them. I'm sure of it."

Jenn wrinkled her nose. "Then WHY did you tell me?"

"I thought that you would have been excited..."

Jenn smiled again but this time it had lost its attempted warmth. "Call me when you have them," she said, and she turned around swifty and walked away.

_*Timebreak*_

Sinead Starling lay down on her bed and picked up her book. She didn't see why so many of the other teenagers were fascinated by television. When she read she felt as if she were a part of the story. She could wish anything she wanted- like she wasn't covered in scars, like her brother Ted didn't need Flamsteed in order to get around. Like Ned, the third triplet, didn't get throbbing headaches at all the wrong times. All because of that stupid clue hunt. She closed her eyes to think when her brothers came bursting into the room.

"Sinead! Are you listening to the radio?" Ned asked.

Sinead smiled. "No."

"Well turn it on!" Ted whined.

Sinead rolled over onto her side and turned on her radio.

"...And that was caller number five, the first participant in our exclusive scavenger hunt. Only one position remains, so dial now!" Ned handed her a phone.

"Dial! Dial! Dial! Dial!" They chanted.

"Okay, okay!" Sinead grumbled. She dialed the munber of the radio station and sat back before they answered.

"Congratulations, lucky number ten! You are the second and final participant in our exclusive scavenger hunt! How do you feel?"

Sinead hesitated before answering. "...Good?"

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Sinead. Sinead Starling."

"Well Sinead, you are one step away from those V.I.P passes. All you need to know is on our website."

"Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Sinead hung up and turned to face her brothers. "And what exactly are these passes for?"

This time Ted piped up. "They're for that one Jesse McCartney guy you LOVE! All you have to do is win some beginner scavenger hunt and they're all yours!" He and Ned then both proceeded to make kissy faces at Sinead.

Sinead blushed. "I _do not _love him!" she snarled. She paused. "But, thanks."

Ned smiled sheepishly. "Glad you like it, because it's your birthday present!"

"Happy week before our birthdays!" Ted added.

They both flashed wide grins before Ned spoke once more. "But don't forget about our presents!" Ted nodded vigorously.

They then both dashed out of the room before Sinead could fully process what they had said. She rolled her eyes, flopped down onto her bed, and continued reading.

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><p><strong>I finally managed to write a multi-chapter Fanfic, or at least the first chapter of it. I will update once I get... 11 reviews. *Laughs evilly.*<strong>

**So REVIEW!**

**~Dog-lvR-11**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here's Chapter 2. I hope it was worth the wait!**

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><p>Hamilton stared out of the window of the taxi. He was on his way to the scavenger hunt, which was taking much longer to get to than he had expected. He was beginning to regret his desicion of taking a taxi. If he would've asked his dad probably would've driven him- after all, Eisenhower loved competition. But being driven by his dad also meant that he probably would've been stuck sitting between his twin sisters, which he knew would've been torture. Especially if they learned that the prize he was competing for was a pair of Jesse McCartney tickets- he would've never heard the end of it.<p>

He sighed, wishing that Jenn was in the taxi with him. She had said that she had cheerleading practice, insisting that she would meet him there. Hamilton supposed he could understand- attendance was mandatory in football, especially if you were the quarterback like he was.

Bored, he drummed his fingers on the car door, but stopped when the taxi driver gave him a dirty figured things couldn't get any more awkward, so he decided to see how talkative this taxi driver was.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Hamilton." The driver ignored him. Hamilton cleared his throat and spoke again. "So, nice weather, huh?"

"It's fine," the taxi driver replied.

"Great weather for summer sports," Hamilton added. "Do you play football?"

"No."

Hamilton leaned back in his seat. Suddenly his dad's van didn't seem quite so bad.

_*Timebreak*_

"Are we there yet?" Ned complained.

"I'm bored!" Ted added.

"I'm hungry!" Ned said.

"Me too!" Ted agreed.

Sinead turned to face her brothers, the smile on her face now diminished. This wasn't the first time they had complained. She glanced down at her watch.

"We're almost there!" She hissed. "Now, do you two think you could be quiet for _five minutes_! Honestly, every five seconds you have some new complaint!"

Ned and Ted glanced at eachother, slightly unnerved. But Sinead continued.

"It's too hot in here!" She mimicked. "I don't like this song!" She glared at a silent Ned and Ted. "I have an idea! How about we spend the rest of the ride concentrating our brains on being silent! Do you think you can do that?" The two boys nodded eagerly. Well, as eagerly as someone can nod when they're afraid of what their sister will do to them. Sinead smiled, satisfied.

"Good."

And so the rest of the ride was spent in silence.

_*Timebreak*_

"Thank you," Sinead said to the driver, stepping out of the car. Ned and Ted tumbled out behind her. She rolled her eyes at them before pausing to look around. She quickly spotted the Fly FM truck in the distance and began walking towards it. As she arrived she spotted one of the station's employees sitting in front of a table, so she decided to approach her.

"Hello," Sinead said. "I'm here for the scavenger hunt."

The employee waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, yeah. The starting point is over there," she paused, pointing to a small area with two lawn chairs, and a table covered with numerous items, "and we're ready to start as soon as possible. We're just waiting for your opponent to show up."

Sinead nodded and walked over to the area she had been advised to go, taking a seat in one of the chairs. She glanced at her watch: 12:05. What would it take to have somebody show up on time for once? Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she noticed a large figure approaching her.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. He held out his hand. "I'm..."

Sinead took a step back, cutting him off. "Hamilton Holt!" she hissed.

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><p><strong>I know, cliffy! Sorry, but I had to do it!<strong>

**And yeah, I know this chapter is shorter than the first one, but the chapters are probably going to vary in length. I don't normally have a consistent length for each chapter, I just stop writing when I think that I should.**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed for the first chapter:**

**~39cluesgal**

**~Kay**

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**~KTRose12**

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**~TheOtherUsernamesWereTaken**

**~FlyOn39**

**~My first reviewer (Who doesn't have a name...)**

**Anyway, R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! It's me, Dog-lvR-11 :) Okay, I'd like to thank all my reviewers from Chapter 2:**

**~39cluesgal**

**~Kay**

**~SqueakyDolphin6**

**~therockinCookie**

**~SlytherinGurrl**

**~KTRose12**

**~fanCLUbofme**

**Now, on with the story! **

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><p>"Sinead!" Hamilton said, surprised. He chuckled nervously. "Long time no see, huh?"<p>

Sinead didn't appear humoured. Glaring, she replied, "Yeah, ever since the Clue Hunt our communication has been lacking."

Hamilton scratched his neck. "Look Sinead, the explosion wasn't my idea. I never would've..."

Sinead chuckled quietly, but her eyes remained the same cold. "Ted is blind. Ned get's these horrible headaches at all the worst times. _I _am the lucky one. All I have are these." She rolled up her sleeves to reveal scars encircling her arm. She glanced back at Hamilton. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to them," she added, motioning to her brothers.

Hamilton sighed. "I wish I could but... I don't know if I could face them."

Sinead smiled. "But I thought you were a Holt. All big and powerful and strong. You're not afraid of two injured boys, are you?"

Hamilton had no response to that.

Sinead smiled and began walking away. She paused and turned back around to face Hamilton.

"Oh, and Hamilton? I may not have won the Clue Hunt, but this is a whole different playing field. You're going down." She waved sweetly at him and walked back to her brothers.

*_Timebreak_*

"So..?" Ned asked. "Who's that guy?"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Ted asked.

Sinead whacked him on the head. "Of course not!" she said. "That was the other competitor!"

"Well, who is he?" Ned asked. He took out a notepad. Sinead smiled. What Ekat behaviour.

"Appearance? Weaknesses?" Ned added.

Sinead sighed. "It was Hamilton Holt."

Ned dropped his notepad and both boys sat there silent for a while. Eventually Ted broke the silence.

"Wait? Why does Hamilton want tickets to a Jesse McCartney concert?"

*_Timebreak_*

Hamilton glanced at his watch. Where was Jenn? He sat down in one of the chairs but was relieved to see Jenn's car pulling into the driveway. She jumped out and ran over to him.

"Hammy! I'm sorry I'm late! You know us athletes, commitment to the sport, right?" She smiled at him, and Hamilton couldn't help but notice that that was how Sinead had smiled at him. Weird...

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you're here now," he replied.

"So, have you won the tickets yet?" Jenn asked.

"No."

"Oh."

"But I will."

"Yeah."

Hamilton shuffled uncomfortably.

"Well," Jenn began. "I'll be... over there." She pointed to where her car was.

"Oh, okay." Hamilton replied. He bent over to kiss her but Jenn turned her head.

"I think I hear my name being called," Jenn said, rushing towards her car. Hamilton shrugged and sat back down in his chair.

*_Timebreak_*

Sinead glanced over to where Hamilton was standing. He was talking to some girl... his girfriend? No, Sinead could tell from her body language that she had no interest in him. Hamilton, on the other hand, seemed to act differently. Interesting...

"What's interesting?" Ned asked. Sinead glanced at him. Had she said that out loud?

"Nothing," she replied.

Ned looked at her, confused. "Okay..."

They were interrupted by an announcement over the speakers. "Would both competitors please meet by the podium. I repeat; would both competitors please meet by the podium. It's time for the hunt to begin."

*_Timebreak*_

Sinead walked over to the podium to find Hamilton already standing there. A boy Sinead's age walked over with two papers in his hand.

"Hello competitors," he said, "Hamilton Holt and... Sinead Starling." When he said her name he winked at her and Sinead smiled back. She saw Hamilton's back tense and he stood up straighter.

"Okay, so here are your first clues," the boy continued, handing each of them one of the envelopes. "You will have 15 minutes to get ready, and then it's fair game. I will see you guys later." The last part was mainly meant for Sinead, who accepted the comment with a nod. She noticed Hamilton walking away and decided to stop him.

"Hamilton!" she blurted out. He turned around, one of his eyebrows raised.

"What? Are Thing One and Thing Two sabotaging me right now and you're the diversion?" ***I got the Thing One and Thing Two part from KTRose12, and I thought that was an awesome idea. So I decided to put it in my story! Thanks KTRose12!***

Sinead smirked. "No. But thanks for the idea."

"So... what do you want..?"

Sinead blushed. Stupid curiosity. "Who's she?" she asked, pointing towards Jenn.

"That's my girlfriend, Jenn," Hamilton said. Sinead's face went blank, thinking. Calculating. Hamilton seemed to have feelings for this girl, but she obviously wanted nothing to do with him. So then why would she date him?

Hamilton took Sinead's blank face to mean something else. He grinned broadly. "What? You jealous?"

Sinead snapped back to reality. "No!" she cried indignantly. She paused, once again calculating this 'Jenn' girl's moves. And then she got it. Just to check...

"So, Hamilton, I didn't know you were a Jesse McCartney fan..."

Hamilton blushed. "I'm not! I'm doing this for Jenn! She loves Jesse McCartney."

Sinead smiled, satisfied, her calculations being confirmed. Jenn was a goldigger. Either that or she dated Hamilton for her school status. Or both. She looked him up and down- the outfit, the confidence, the looks. He was definitely popular. And, if she remembered correctly, he loved football, so he was probably the Quarterback. She smiled again. So Jenn began dating him for popularity, and is now continuing to date him for the tickets. And he was oblivious.

Hamilton noticed Sinead looking at him so he caught her eye. "Whoa Sinead! Are you checking me out?"

Sinead glanced up at him. She could tell him that Jenn was just using him but... she could use this to her advantage. Yes, a conflict of interest. He figures it out (or she 'helps' him figure it out), he becomes distracted, he and his supposed 'girlfriend' fight, and then she gains an exceptional lead and wins. Not that she wouldn't win anyway, but a little help has never hurt anyone. Instead of telling Hamilton about his girlfriend, Sinead just glared at him.

"What? Of course not!" she replied. She paused before winking at him. "Good luck." Those tickets were going to be hers.

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><p><strong>I know it's kind of a cliffy, but it's less of a cliffy than last time :D <strong>

**School starts on Tuesday, and I'm starting a new school, so I don't know how often I will be able to update then. But maybe, if I get a lot of reviews, I might be able to update ONE more time before then. *Hint* *Hint* **

**Read and Review!**

**~Dog-lvR-11**

**P.S. I think this is my longest chapter yet! Yay!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! It's me again! I'm SOOOO sorry that it took so long for me to update, but I've been REALLY busy starting school. Plus my teachers seem to _love_ giving homework, as I _always _seem to have it ;)**

**Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers from Chapter 3:**

**~Agent Galini**

**~Days-Like-These**

**~safiya**

**~SlytherinGurrl**

**~IJustCantChoose**

**~Kay**

**~KTRose12**

**~39cluesgal**

**~Volcanic Lily**

**~therockinCookie**

**~Paperclip Chick**

**Now, on with the story!**

* * *

><p>Hamilton watched Sinead walk away, confusion clearly drawn onto his features. He may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, he mentally praised himself for remembering that phrase, but he could tell she was up to something. Or maybe he was just paranoid- the Clue Hunt could do that to anyone. Either way, he knew that this competition wasn't going to completely clean, and he found himself wishing it didn't have to be that way.<p>

_*Pagebreak*_

Hamilton rushed over to Jenn's car, dragging a few bags of supplies behind him, barely noticing the extra weight. As he neared the black Chevrolet he stopped in his tracks when he noticed... no, it couldn't be. But who else had a purple van? His fears were confirmed when he saw Madison and Reagan rushing towards him.

"Hamilton! Why didn't you tell us? We LOVE scavenger hunts!" Madison whined.

"You hogged all the fun! You always hog everything!" Reagan continued. Hamilton noticed his dad jogging towards him.

"Hammer! Don't tell me, you're doing another scavenger hunt to redeem the Holt glory!" He ruffled his son's hair fondly and added; "I'm proud of you, son." Hamilton smiled. He couldn't believe how much the hunt had changed his father; he was still a Holt, but now he was... well, Hamilton didn't know how exactly to describe it. He frowned. Sinead probably had some fancy term to describe his change... she _always _knew everything.

"So, what are you going to do? Let Arnold get them? Ooh, are you going to pop all of their tires? Or break all their electronic stuff? I'd like to see them without their precious computers, relying on strength and.. uhhh... outdoorsy-ness . And of course they're Ekats, so..." Madison began.

"Actually," Hamilton said, cutting her off, "Maybe we could try... not doing that stuff?" At recieving doubtful glances from his family he decided to change tactics. "Uhh... anyway, here's the first clue:

_**Never once have you made me feel,**_

_**What we have is something real,**_

_**I just came to realize,**_

**THAT**

_**All this will occur,**_

_**While you seach amongst fur.**_

_**Now where do we go from here?**_

"Ok, umm, that's uhhh..." Madison said, contemplating. Reagan cut her off.

"The Toronto Zoo!" she blurted out. She looked down when she was given incredulous looks from her family.

"Uh, the first three lines and the last line are from Shawn Desman's song "Something Stupid." She paused when she noticed Madison looking at her funny. "It came on the radio, uh, once, and... uh... anyway, Sean Desman is from Toronto and the uh, the Toronto Zoo is a big deal... and uh, animals tend to have fur..." she said, blushing. Her family nodded, not exactly picking up on how Reagan had dumbed down what she was saying for them.

Hamilton glanced at his watch.

"Okay, whatever. Let's go!" All three Holts jumped into the van and Eisenhower quickly pressed his foot on the gas pedal.

"Wait, where are we going again?"

_*Pagebreak*_

Sinead glanced back at her brothers, seemingly uninterested. "I assume you already know where we're going?"

Ned and Ted rolled their eyes. "Of course!" they said in unison. Upon realizing this, they glanced at eachother and nodded before Ned laid out their conclusion.

"So the clue said search amongst fur, also mentioning some fairly irrelevant lines. But of course, it always seems to be that these ones are the ones that end up having the most importance. So I went online and searched them and discovered that they are lines from the song "Something Stupid" by Shawn Desman. Probably some sort of promotion for the radio station, featuring one of the artists. Anyway, Sean Desman is from Toronto, which obviously means we have to go here," Ned said, pulling at a map and pointing to The Toronto Zoo.

"You see," Ted began. "The key part of the clue was the word fur, one that is usually associated with animals, which lead us to think of Zoos. This helped us decipher..."

Sinead interrupted him. "I know what you did! You don't need to waste time giving me all the details!" Ted looked taken aback.

"Whoa, moody! What's wrong? Does Hammy have a _girlfriend_?" Ned asked. He made sure to hold the last word, studying Sinead carefully. She tried to keep her face blank but she coud feel a slight tint of colour forming in her cheeks.

"Of course not! I mean, how would I even know if he did or not! He's the enemy!" Ted appeared unconvinced but nodded slowly.

"Okay sis, whatever you say. So anyway, Ned and I were thinking..."

"Oh god," Sinead grumbled, slightly louder than she had anticipated.

Ted gave her a dirty look but continued on talking. "_Anyway, _we were thinking about ways to defeat the Holts, not that we need them or anything, and we have some fairly effective methods, but we thought you'd like to do the honors."

Ned smirked. "Unless you've changed your mind, of course..."

Sinead rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Ned. So anyway Ted, what are these methods?"

Ted glanced back at her. "I think the real question is if YOU have anything planned. Don't even try to deny it, we all know you do."

A small smirk crept onto Sinead's seemingly innocent face. "Maybe."

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><p><strong>Okay, there you go, chapter four is finally done! It might be slightly short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!<strong>

**Okay, so I was wondering; Do you think I should add some romance in with the Holt twins and Ned and Ted?What do you think, Nadison, Red/Teagan, or neither? Or both, maybe, but preferably not both...**

**Anyway, R&R! **

**~Dog-lvR-11**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'd like to thank all my amazing reviewers from Chapter 4:**

**~KTRose12**

**~39cluesgal**

**~Fowlfan5**

**~luv2read**

**~Volcanic Lily**

**~Agent Galini**

**~SlytherinGurrl**

**~StuckInSpace (Kay)**

**Btw, I've decided not to do any romance between Ned and Ted/the Twins. Sorry if that's what you wanted... I never realized how big of an age difference there was between them before...**

* * *

><p>Sinead ground her teeth together, concentrating. "If I calculated correctly, then this should work..."<p>

Ned rolled his eyes. "You forgot to take into affect the fact that it's YOUR plan. That makes the concept of this working extremely unlikely."

Ted held out his hand for a fist bump and Ned returned the guesture. Sinead turned back to face her brothers.

"What was _that_?"

Ned glanced back at her. "What do you think that was? I exposed your vulnerabilities by attacking your intellect when it comes to creating an effective plan. I thought you'd be used to it by now."

"No, that thing you did with your fists? They... collided?"

Ted laughed. "It's called a fist bump, Sinead. It's what all the _cool _people do." He snorted. "Of course, you wouldn't know..."

"Oh really?" Sinead countered. "And since when are you cool?" She paused, thinking. "Wait a second, what's with this sudden desire to be cool, huh?"

The two boys looked away, a slight colour rising to their cheeks. "I don't know what you mean..." Ned muttered.

Sinead smiled. "Oh my god, you're trying to be 'cool' like Hamilton, aren't you? You're jealous!"

"Are not!" Ted and Ned said together. They glanced at eachother, and their fists extended slightly, but they quickly withdrew when the realized they were about to fistbump again. Sinead just laughed, typing a few keys in her laptop. She watched the screen intently for a few seconds, and then closed it, smiling triumphantly.

"Done," she announced. Ned grabbed her computer, unconvinced.

"Let me see that!" He stared at the computer momentarily before closing it once more and handing it back to Sinead.

"I'm impressed." He nudged Ted. "Operation GPS is a success."

Ted smirked. "We're so evil."

Sinead winked at him. "Yep."

_*Meanwhile, in the Holt Van...*_

"Umm, dad, I don't think we're going the right way..." Madison mumbled.

Eisenhower laughed at his daughter. "Of course we're going the right way! I programmed it all into this baby," he said, tapping his GPS and smiling fondly.

"But dad," Reagan added, "we're going south," she continued, pointing to the compass.

"Yeah!" Madison exclaimed. "Plus I haven't seen one beaver or polar bear or maple leaf! Or even heard one 'eh'!"

Reagan glanced at her sister. "Uh, you do know that..." She stopped at a head shake from Hamilton and a cluesless look from her sister. "Never mind."

Eisenhower smiled back at his family. "Just trust me. This baby has never done me wrong before."

Hamilton glanced at Reagan. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said.

_*Pagebreak*_

"We're here!" Ned exclaimed. Ted and Sinead continued sleeping so he raised his voice. "WE'RE HERE!" he yelled.

Sinead slapped him. "Shut up you idiot! Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

Ned shrugged. "Okay, let Hamilton win. See if _I _care!"

This woke Sinead right up. "Sorry Ned, you're right." She pushed Ted. "Ted! Wake up!" Ted rolled over in his sleep.

"No mommy! Make Ned do it!"

Ned and Sinead burst out laughing, while Ted rubbed his eyes groggily, finally waking up. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Sinead quickly recovered. "Errr, nothing. Now come on, we have to get going!" And so the trio headed to the Zoo, Sinead dragging a half-asleep Ted behind her.

_*Pagebreak*_

When Sinead arrived at the Zoo it took all of her will to stop herself from bursting out laughing.

"Seriously?" she asked, glancing at a brightly coloured mailbox right beside the Zoo's entrance. The Fly FM logo proudly covered one side, as if the competitors hadn't already noticed it. Still, Sinead couldn't help but chuckle.

"This is almost _too _easy," she murmured, reaching for the next clue...

* * *

><p><strong>And this chapter is OVER! I find this chapter to be okay- not <strong>_**horrible**_**, but not my favourite. Sorry I took so long to update again! I had this chapter mostly done last weekend, but I couldn't think of an ending for it, meaning I couldn't really come up with an idea for the second clue. Which is where you come in! So for those of you who just skipped over this A/N...**

**ACTUALLY READ THIS PART!**

**Are you good at rhyming? Do you want to help out a sad, creativity-drained author? Well then keep reading! **

**Because I WOULD LOVE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR CLUE #2!**

**Here are the requirements:**

**-It must mention them having to go to an island of some sort next (Preferably in North America, just because I don't really feel like doing much research...)**

**-They will have to take a ferry or plane of some sort there in order for my plot to work (preferably a ferry)**

**-And if you could include some basic information about the island also, I would be EXTREMELY HAPPY!**

**Okay, so I think that's it...**

**WAIT! Do you guys think I write about Ned and Ted too much? I love writing about them, I'm just not sure if I'm overdoing it or not, so I would love your feedback about that!**

**How many reviews do I have... 39? Okay, I want to have **_**50 **_**reviews before I update next! ****So remember, R&R!**

**-Dog-lvR-11**

**P.S. Did you see IJCC's new contest? It sounds amazing! I strongly encourage everyone to enter because Hamilton/Sinead are an awesome couple! I was going to but my story's a multi-chap so I can't... *sigh* But don't worry, I am still determined to finish it!**

**P.P.S. Wow, this is a really long A/N...**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'd like to thank all my amazing reviewers from Chapter 5:**

**~MadrigalGryffindor3**

**~KTRose12**

**~SlytherinGurrl**

**~Volcanic Lily**

**~39cluesgal**

**~StuckInSpace**

**~Agent Galini**

**~LilacMayn**

**~IJustCantChoose**

**You guys are awesome! :)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Head to an island just off California's coast,<strong>_

_**A location that may test your skills the most.**_

_**Be prepared to take a boat or plane,**_

_**As a lead is important to gain.**_

Ted looked bored. "This one's even easier than the last one. We're going to Santa Catalina Island."

Ned nodded. "Of course. Santa Catalina Island, often called just Catalina Island, is located off the coast of California. At 22 miles long and 8 miles wide, and with a population of approximately 3,700 people, Catalina island is not an extremely large one."

Sinead rolled her eyes. "Wow, I couldn't figure out that one." Ted, feeling leftout, decided to continue his brother's story.

"Catalina Island is also very rich in quartz, so some of the islands on the seaward side even have silvery-grey sand. And don't even get me started on the nature there..." Ned nodded encouragingly, but Sinead obviously didn't feel the same way.

"Sometimes I can't even believe we're triplets... " she grumbled to herself. As she saw Ted open his mouth again, she quickly spoke up once more. "You know what, I'm going to have to stop you there, Ted. Oh, and by the way Ned, Ted can't see you nod." Satisfied, she paused before adressing her brothers once more. "Okay, so I'm going to find us a way to get to the island. Since this is only some amateur clue hunt, I suppose once of those public ferries will work."

She grabbed her cellphone from her purse, quickly dialing the nearest ferry company. The condescending tone in her voice quickly disappeared to be replaced by an unaturally warm one.

"What should we do?" Ned asked.

"Want to get smoothies?" Ted replied.

"Sure."

_*Timebreak*_

"Hurry up! We're gonna miss the plane!" Sinead grumbled, lugging a suitcase behind her. She turned around to see her brothers lagging behind, nonchalantly sipping their smoothies. Sinead rolled her eyes. "And would you stop that annoying sipping? It`s giving me a headache!" Ted and Ned flashed her matching smiles.

"Hey, we offered to get _you _one, but you didn't want it to distract you from your true love," Ned said, grinning.

Sinead waved her hand dismissively. "I didn't want that smoothie to distract me from winning _my _tickets and _crushing _Hamilton's soul."

Ted looked slightly freaked out. "Whoa, dark!" Ned nodded in agreement.

They were interrupted by an announcement over the airport speakers. "Flight 106 to Calfornia is now boarding. I repeat; flight 106 is now boarding." Sinead cursed under her breath.

"You idiots! Now we're going to miss the flight!"

Ted shrugged. "No, we're not. Just point me in the right direction and we'll be there with tons of time to spare." Sinead eyed him suspicously, but the trio continued walking. Soon Sinead could see the airplane. Was it...? No, it couldn't be. But it looked like...

"It's moving!" Sinead yelled. "Oh yes Ted, we have lots of time!" She made a mad dash to the plane but it was too late; the plane was off and in the air before they even made it to the runway. Sinead turned to face her brothers, panting and out of breath. Wordlessly, she walked over, grabbed Ted's smoothie, and threw it on the ground.

"Anger issues..." Ned mumbled. Sinead walked over to him, smiling evilly.

"Really Ned, you're going to choose now to develop a sense of humour? One more of your smart remarks and I'll dump your smoothie on your empty head!" She then walked a few steps away before turning around briskly to face her brothers. "Any more bright ideas?"

"Relax Sinead," Ted said, rubbing his temples. "Just reserve another flight. After that detour we sent the Holts on, they will still be hours behind us."

Sinead nodded, and remorse covered her face. "You're right, I suppose I did overeact." She glanced at the remains of Ted's smoothie guiltily. "How about another smoothie, on me?"

Ted smiled. "I'm going to need at least two."

_*Timebreak*_

"What do you mean there are no more flights to California?" Sinead yelled. When the woman selling the tickets shot her a surprised glance, Sinead quickly changed tactics. "Errr.. would you mind checking again?"

The woman shot her a doubtful glance. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I already checked three times. The next flight isn't until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Sinead paced the room, rubbing her temples. After a few moments of careful consideration, she turned around and smiled back at the ticket booth.

"Thank you for your help," she said, her voice oozing false sincerity. She briskly exited the office, snatching her cellphone from out of her purse.

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." she muttered.

_*Timebreak*_

"Dad!" Reagan exclaimed. "We've been driving for hours and we aren't even close to Canada!"

"Of course we are!" Eisenhower exclaimed. He glanced at the GPS, and began prodding it with his meaty fingers. "How much longer?" He yelled at the GPS.

"We will arrive in your destination of Sarasota, Florida, in approximately 3 days and 21 hours."

"WHAT?" Eisenhower exclaimed. "We're going to Toronto, not Florida!" He paused as realization dawned over him. "Oh."

Madison slammed her fist on the seat, obviously annoyed. "It was those stuck-up Starlings! They did this!"

Eisenhower glanced back at his family, eyes blazing. "That's it!" he bellowed, hands gripping the steering wheel. "This means war!"

The three Holt children all turned to face eachother. This wasn't going to end well...

_*Timebreak*_

"Hello?" A voice answered on the other line, clear and charismatic. Sinead couldn't help but scoff at the confidence that echoed off of it, and that condescending smirk of his appeared clear as day in her mind.

"Hello Ian," Sinead replied, making no attempt to stop the icy tone from entering her voice. She could almost hear him grinning on the other line.

"Oh, hello Sinead. How may I be of assistance?" Sinead took a deep breath. Was this really necassary? Yes, she decided. Anything to beat Hamilton.

"I need to borrow a plane."

* * *

><p><strong>And that's chapter 6! It's finally done :) In case you didn't notice, I decided to use StuckInSpace's idea, as I thought it was a great and unique one. All the other ideas were awesome too, and I appreciate everyone who took the time to review and give me suggestions! Although I only had 48 reviews... So close! :'( <strong>

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Agent Galini, because she was the one who convinced me to write it ;) Even though I was a bit late... Again, sorry about that. This chapter took longer than I thought. **

**Oh yeah, I'm not really sure how long it would've taken for them to get to Sarasota, Florida. I just made that number up as I had not written specifically where they were. But I did research Santa Catalina Island :D**

**But anyway, R&R!**

**~Dog-lvR-11**

**P.S. My story is on the favourites list of 11 people! That's amazing! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Let me begin by thanking my Chapter 6 reviewers:**

**~Fprmr1**

**~kahillkid5**

**~UniversalForce**

**~39cluesgal**

**~MadrigalGryffindor3**

**~Giraffes4Ever**

**~Agent Galini**

**~StuckInSpace**

**~Volcanic Lily**

**~Stop-IBegYou**

**And h****ere is Chapter 7! :D**

* * *

><p>Sinead trudged ahead, dragging her luggage behind her. Was this <em>really <em>necassary? Having to borrow _Ian Kabra_'s plane to win a pair of _Jesse McCartney tickets_? But she knew it was. Because it was no longer about the tickets. It was between her and the Holts now. And she was determined to win.

For once, Ned and Ted were up front, bickering about something Sinead couldn't bring herself to care about. Actually, at the time she couldn't really bring herself to care about anything but winning this hunt. She just wanted to get in the plane and get to Santa Catalina Island as soon as possible. Hopefully before Hamilton did.

"Sinead! Come check this out!" Ned exclaimed. He was already inside the plane, waving at her to come over. Sinead rolled her eyes at her brother.

"One second! You know, maybe if I had some _help _carrying this luggage, I wouldn't be taking so long to get over there!"

Ned smiled sheepishly. "On second thought, take as long as you like." He quickly headed back into the airplane, which was no surprise to her. She quickly walked up the airplane steps, and as soon as she was inside the airplane, proceeded to flop down in one of the seats.

_Comfy_, she noted, stretching out her legs. It was only then that she noticed just how luxurious the jet was. A cranberry carpet lined the floor, the lucian crest dominant. The walls were painted a beautiful ruby red, a colour also prominent on much of the jet's seating. All furniture was made of the highest quality wood, all stained in a beautiful mahogany, which brought everything together. Family photos adorned the walls, all framed in gold (frames that is; although Sinead guessed that they probably had at least _traces _of real gold in them). It was gorgeous.

"Ah, Sinead, welcome to one of my many lovely homes." Ian's voice echoed throughout the helicopter, startling the three siblings. Sinead glanced around the room, until her eyes landed on a large screen hooked on the wall. There, the ever arrogant face of Ian Kabra smirked back at her. "I do hope you're enjoying yourself, yes?"

"It's fine," Sinead spat, trying to wipe the smug smile off his face. Ian just continued, smiling.

"Yes, well, help yourself to the buffet and the abundant entertainment methods. Contact me once you arrived at your destination, which you still haven't disclosed to me..."

"Which I _still_ will not dislose to you."

"Very well. Cheerio." The screen then turned black, leaving the plane in awkward silence. Sinead was the first to break it.

"Well, let's get going! No need to waste any more time than you two already lost us."

"So..." Ted asked, "Who's going to fly the plane?"

Sinead rolled her eyes. "We'll just put it on autopilot." She walked into cockpit and started the plane. All three of the Starlings were capable of flying, but Sinead seemed to have the steadiest hands for it. Of course, they were used to having a pilot fly the plane. "Couldn't send us a pilot, huh Kabra?" Sinead muttered, preparing to take flight. Soon the plane was in the air, and Sinead quickly switched the controls to autopilot. She walked back into the main room, and took out a book. This was going to be a _long _flight.

_*Pagebreak*_

"How much longer?" Reagan whined, staring out at the water.

"Yeah!" Madison added. "We've been on this boat, for like, EVER."

"We're almost there," Hamilton snapped, glaring at them. "Now can you please shut up? I'm trying to concentrate."

They were interrupted by screaming, coming from somewhere nearby. Hamilton searched the water for the source of the noise. He paused when he saw three figures in the water.

"Dad! Over there! There's something in the water!" he yelled. Reagan walked over, joining her brother. As the boat drew near, Hamilton's eyes grew wide.

"Well, look who's here," he muttered, chuckling to himself.

_*Pagebreak*_

"Can you two shut up for ten minutes?" Sinead grumbled, looking up from her book. Ned and Ted glanced at her, then back at eachother.

"If Ted would just say I'm right, then I would be happy to."

"I will not, because you're wrong!"

"Oh, I'm wrong, am I? Would you like me to explain to you what the word 'wrong' means?"

"I'm well aware of the definition of the word 'wrong', thank you."

Unable to think of anything to say, Ned gave Ted a slight shove. Ted shoved Ned back, and the argument quickly accelerated into an altercation.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Sinead yelled, trying to get between her brothers. However, she proved to be unsuccessful when Ned pushed her by mistake. Sprawling, she fell backwards into the cockpit, and right onto the control panel.

"What have you done?" she snarled at Ned, quickly getting up. Ned looked at Ted helplessly.

"I...You...Umm..."

"Uhh... Guys?" Ted piped up, holding onto the side of the plane. "Is it just me, or have we changed direction?"

Sinead rushed to the window and glanced down at the water. Sure enough, they had changed direction. They were going down.

* * *

><p><strong>Hehehehe, cliffy! I love writing those ;) So, there's chapter seven! Idk if it's as good as my other chapters; I haven't written for awhile (which I'm really sorry about, btw, I've had tons of homework, and I was sick for awhile... Plus I had a musical at school that I was in, which took up tons of my time as we were performing last week...) so I'm not really back into the story yet, although I'm getting there XD <strong>

**But anyway, R&R!**

**-Dog-lvR-11**

**P.S. Any ideas of who Hamilton saw in the water? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, I'm back! :D**

**Thank you to all my chapter 7 reviewers:**

**~Erica Vesper**

**~StuckInSpace**

**~SlytherinGurrl**

**~Agent Galini**

**~MadrigalGryffindor3**

**~Stop-IBegYou**

**And here is chapter 8!**

* * *

><p>"Well, do something!" Ted yelled, clutching one of the airplane's seats. "I'm too young to die!"<p>

"And we can't let our good looks go to waste!" Ned added, running a hand through his hair. Sinead shot him a death glare, and he immediately stopped talking. Frantically, she rushed into the control room, scanning the switches for any that would save the plummeting airplane.

"I could use some help here!" she snarled, grabbing an instruction booklet off the counter. Ned quickly rushed into the cockpit with her, but Ted remained standing where he was. Then, as if he could sense what Sinead was thinking, he spoke.

"I'm _blind_, remember?" Sinead, not in the mood to argue, just ignored him. Ned pressed various switches, when suddenly the noise vibrating off the plane decreased.

"Uh oh," Ned murmured, glancing at one of the switches he had pressed.

"What do you mean 'Uh oh'?"

"Well, the good news is that we still have one working engine. The bad news is the other one might have stopped running."

"WHAT?"

"Okay, the other one HAS stopped running."

Sinead stared at the controls, flabbergasted. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

Ned rushed into the back of the plane and came back with three parachutes. "Well, it looks like we finally have a use for these lovely pieces of equipment."

_*Pagebreak*_

Sinead gripped Ted's hand tightly, avoiding looking downward. She could hear Ned's voice over the roar of the plane's engines. Errr... engine.

"3... 2... 1... GO!"

Sinead proceeded to step over the edge of the airplane, holding her breath. She could feel the air pressure changing as she descended, and try as she might, all she could think about was that horrible landing that was awaiting her. Well, that and the physics associated with the matter. She was an Ekat, after all. She quickly released both her and Ted's parachutes, risking a look down. The water looked strangely calm. In some ways, welcoming. But mainly, it looked deadly. She had a huge fear of water which no one, not even her brothers, knew about. And she had to admit, this wasn't helping it. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. And then she hit the water.

_*Pagebreak*_

Sinead broke through the water's surface, gasping for air. She quickly took a few gulps of it before glancing around for her brothers.

Nothing.

"Ned! Ted!" She yelled, scanning the water once more. To her relief, she saw the two swimming towards her, wearing matching expressions of worry.

"Oh, there you are, Sinead! We thought you'd drowned!" Ned blurted out, inspecting his sister. Ted smirked beside him.

"Well, either that or you had run off to elope with your beloved Hammy..." He was cut off by tight hug from Sinead.

"I'm so glad you guys are safe! I don't know what I'd do without you two! Even if you do ruin everything..."

Ned, now recovered, smiled back at her. "No need to get all mushy, sis. Now, can you please let go of me? Seriously... Can't... Breathe..."

Sinead let go of them, blushing. "Oh... sorry. Well, at least we're all safe now."

"Not for long," Ned muttered, glancing at the airplane's wreckage. "I don't think Ian will have much mercy for us."

Ted nodded in agreement just as the wreckage caught on fire. "And suddenly the endless, freezing water we're in doesn't seem so bad."

_*Pagebreak*_

Sinead sat in the water, struggling to stay afloat. Well, it could be worse. She was ABOVE the water, at least for the time being. And Ned and Ted were there. Besides, as far as she knew, there were no deadly creatures hidden in the water, plotting their demise. Yet.

How long had they been here for? Hours? Probably not. 30 minutes? Much more likely. She raised her arm to glance at her watch, but it was filled with water and completely still. Sighing, she made a mental note: next time, splurge for the waterproof version.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a distant humming sound. She instantly perked up, looking for the source of the noise. As it became louder, she noticed a boat in the distance.

"Do you guys hear that?" Ted asked, voice brimming with excitement. Ned grinned back.

"Yep. Sounds like a boat to me."

"We're saved!" Sinead exclaimed, her tone high pitched and overflowing with relief. All Starlings made eye contact before they errupted into a chorus of screaming.

"Help!"

"Our plane crashed!"

"We've been stranded here for HOURS!" The last part wasn't completely true, but at the time honesty wasn't exactly high on their priorities list.

Sinead watched as the boat slowly came closer, and soon enough she could faintly make out their saviours. Was that...? No, that was impossible, that GPS hacking should've accounted for more time than that. But, when the images became less foggy, Sinead could no longer kid herself. The grinning faces of the Holts came into view, similiar looks of amusement overwhelming their features. And right at the front of the boat, his smile taking up the majority of his face, was none other than Hamilton himself.

_*Pagebreak*_

"The Starlings?" Reagan screeched, approaching the side of the boat. Madison quickly joined her, laughing.

"Going to Florida doesn't seem so bad now, does it?" She was cut off by an elbow from Reagan. "Not that _we _went there, or anything."

Sinead just rolled her eyes at the two, eyes glued to Hamilton, studying him. He was obviously gloating, but... was that _worry_ she saw in his eyes?

"What's all the commotion about?" Eisenhower demanded, walking over to join his children. "Well, well, if it isn't the Starlings," he continued, staring Sinead down. "Why are you in the water, huh? Those big brains of yours not coming in handy?"

Sinead could think of hundreds of comebacks, but she figured that making fun of Eisenhower probably wouldn't benefit their situation much. Eisenhower stared at Sinead, expecting a comeback, but when she didn't say anything he just smiled triumphantly and headed back to the boat's controls. Reagan and Madison shrugged, following their father. Hamilton glanced at his family, alarmed.

"Wait, what are you guys doing?" Eisenhower glanced back at his son, oblivous to his distress.

"Starting the boat again?" he asked, confused.

"But what about the Starlings?" Hamilton demanded, frustrated.

"What about them?"

"We can't just leave them here!"

"Why not?" Madison demanded, staring Hamilton down.

"Well... they could... they could drown!"

"So?" Madison countered. Hamilton just glanced down at his feet. Reagan glanced at her brother, deep in thought.

"I think what Hamilton is trying to say," she began, biting her lip, "is that rescuing the Starlings could be much more to our advantage. Errr... I mean, umm, think of all the information! They probably already know where the finish line is!" Eisenhower considered this.

"Good idea, Hammer!" he said, patting him on the back. Hamilton nodded in response, hurriedly racing over to the Starlings. He pulled them up one at a time, nearly tipping over the entire boat. He pulled up Sinead last, studying her pale face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern clear on his face.

"Yes," Sinead replied, teeth chattering. She paused. "Thanks."

"What for?"

"For not leaving Ned and Ted to drown."

Hamilton smiled, eyes twinkling. "So you wouldn't have minded if I had grabbed them and left you?" Then, as an afterthought: "Besides, it was Reagan, not me."

Sinead smiled back. "Are you kidding me? She was ready to leave us as shark bait before you spoke up." She stopped, frowning. "Of course, that's under the assumption that there are sharks in these waters..." Hamilton burst out laughing, and Sinead shot him a dirty look. "What's so funny?"

"You... You have to _nerd _up every conversation!" he choked out between laughs. Sinead glared back at him.

"No, I don't!"

"Yeah, you do!"

"No, I don't!" Hamilton looked her over, finally noticing her chattering teeth and shivering body.

"Hey, you must be freezing! Do you want my jacket?"

"No, I do not want your _pity_ jacket."

"Just take the jacket."

"No." Hamilton held his jacket out to her, but she just turned in the opposite direction. "I'm not going to put on your...your... for lack of a better word, stupid, jacket!" Hamilton once again burst out laughing.

"You did it again! 'For lack of a better word.' NERD!"

"Yeah, well... At least I'm not..."

"Not, what?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly. Now, put on the jacket before I _make_ you put it on." Sinead relunctantly grabbed the jacket and put it on. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was grateful for it. The heat radiated into her body, and she instantly felt more relaxed. Hamilton began to walk away, but Sinead was determined to get the last word.

"Oh, and Hamilton? I don't nerd up _every _conversation. Only _some_." Hamilton chuckled, turned around, and walked back next to her. He studied her amused expression, kneeling down beside her. He leaned in, his face only inches from hers...

"Yes, you do," he whispered, a triumphant smile dominating his features. He then got up and joined his fellow Holts, leaving a flabbergasted Sinead behind.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you guys think? This is the beginning of a lovely friendship between our favourite couple, which will soon escalate... to romance! <strong>**Well, it may take _awhile_, but all good things come with time ;) **

**Next chapter will be quite a dramatic one, though :D Poor navigating skills+An annoyed Sinead+Annoying siblings+A constant need to talk about one's girlfriend= CHAOS!**

**Read and review! Oh, and one last thing;**

**ENTER MY NATAN CONTEST!**

**So far I only have two entries, and three places to be awarded, so I need AT LEAST one more entry. Besides, if I get a couple more amazing authors to try it out, I will be much more inclined to update my story, if you catch my drift ;) **

**So, CHECK IT OUT! Go to my profile and read it, at least! The fate of the world is counting on you! Well, not exactly _the world... _****But do it anyway!**** Please :)**

**Your friendly die-hard Natan fan,**

**~Dog-lvR-11**


	9. Chapter 9

**Time for chapter nine! XD I actually wrote this on Thursday (we had a snow day! :D), but I only got the chance to post it now.**

**So, I thought I'd switch things up and reply to my reviews today:**

**JustBecause: Thank you! I'm glad you like it! :D**

**ad: Okay! :)**

**Hiker Writer: I'm glad you like it so far :) And thanks for the advice- I'll try my best to improve that :)**

**MadrigalGryffindor3: Thanks for reviewing! It's okay if you don't enter my contest, but I think you should try writing sometime :) It's fun! :D**

**SlytherinGurrl: I'll try and check out that book sometime ;) I'm glad you liked this chapter, and I have indeed read 'Tutoring a Holt' by Volcanic Lily... I believe it's in my favourites, actually. It was the story that inspired me to write a Hamilton and Sinead story in the first place :)**

**NatalieKfan: I'm glad you liked it :) Nice username, btw :D**

**Volcanic Lily: I'm glad you liked it! Your story is better ;) Hopefully you won't be disappointed by this chapter- it's kinda short, but I hope you like it still :)**

**KTRose12: Yeah, I noticed you haven't been reviewing... But I'm glad you're caught up now :D And thanks :) I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

**StuckInSpace: I'm glad you liked the last chapter :) Unfortunately, there might be a little conflict between the lovely couple in this chapter... But I have a feeling they'll make up in the next one ) Oh, and is there any way that you could PM me the information on Santa Catalina Island for next chapter? That'd be great :) And as for the contest, it'd be awesome if you could enter- I extended it :D**

**39cluesgal: I'm glad you liked it! And I saw your contest entry- it was AWESOME! :D**

**And here's the chapter! :D**

* * *

><p>Sinead leaned against the side of the boat, deep in thought. "I nerd up EVERY conversation?" she wondered, muttering to herself.<p>

"Yep."

"No doubt about it." Sinead turned around and found herself looking at the smirking faces of her brothers.

"That DIDN'T require a response," she grumbled.

Ned continued smirking. "Well, you could've mentioned that beforehand..."

Sinead rolled her eyes, once again looking at her broken watch. "What time is it? We should've been at Santa Catalina Island _hours _ago." Ted shrugged.

"Why don't your ask your _boyfriend_?" he asked, emphasizing the last word. Sinead glanced back at him, unamused.

"Wait, it's your birthday next week, _too?_" she asked, allowing false innocence to creep into her voice. "I thought it was just Ned's and mine!"

Ned nodded eagerly, a triumphant smile covering his face. "Yeah! Give me Ted's present!" Ted leaned over, giving Ned a quick shove.

"Oops, my hands slipped. I hate it when that happens."

"This is the _fourth _time today your hands have 'slipped'."

"I know... I guess I'm just used to having Flamsteed to help me..."

"Oh, nice try! Don't pull the whole 'I'm blind so feel bad for me' act again!" Ned replied, annoyed.

"What are you talking about?" Ted asked, his face the picture of innocence.

"Hamilton!" Sinead called, cutting the two off. Hamilton walked over, eating a sandwhich.

"Yesh?" he asked, mouth full. Sinead grimaced, staring at the sandwhich disdainfully. Hamilton noticed the glance, looking at his sandwhich. "Do ya want some?" Sinead quickly shook her head, but Ned looked at the sandwhich eagerly.

"I d-" Sinead cut him off with her elbow, glaring back at him. He quickly stopped talking.

"Do you know where we are, Hamilton?" Sinead asked. Hamilton shrugged.

"One second." He turned to face Eisenhower. "DAD, WHERE ARE WE?"

"WE'RE HEADING TO THAT ISLAND THING!"

"OKAY!" Hamilton turned to face Sinead. "We're heading to-"

"I heard what he said!" Sinead grumbled, cutting him off. "But we were supposed to be there hours ago!" Hamilton glanced at his father again.

"SINEAD SAYS WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE HOURS AGO!"

"SO? WHAT, DO YOU THINK I GOT US LOST OR SOMETHING?" Eisenhower paused before adding; "BECAUSE I DIDN'T!" At this, Sinead did a mental facepalm. The doubt in his voice was unmistakable. How could he honestly expect _anyone_ to fall for-

"OKAY!" Hamilton replied. Once again, he turned to Sinead. "He said we're not lost." And once again, Sinead was surprised by just how gullible the eldest of the Holt children was. It took all of her energy to keep her voice transparent as she turned to address him.

"Hamilton, you do realize we are indeed lost, right?"

"No, we aren't. Didn't you hear him?"

"I did."

"He said we're not lost."

"I know, but-"

Ted, annoyed at the slow pace of the conversation, quickly spoke up. "HE LIED!"

Hamilton sat there for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowed. "Why would he lie?" Sinead opened her mouth to answer his question, but was cut off when Hamilton continued talking. "I wish Jenn was here. You know, she has great navigation skills! She'd have us at that island in a heartbeat!"

"Who's Jenn?" Ned asked, suddenly interested.

"Hamilton's girlfriend," Sinead replied, forgetting to mask the unpleasant tone in her voice. Ned noticed, mouthing the word 'jealous' towards her. Hamilton, on the other hand, wasn't quite so observant.

"Yeah! She's so awesome! Did you know she's the head cheerleader? Cheers me on at every one of my football games," he added fondly. _Of course she does,_ Sinead thought bitterly. _She's the head CHEERLEADER._

"And she's wicked smart..." _And manipulative._ Sinead added silently.

"Not to mention beautiful..." He gazed off dreamily into the distance, as if she were standing right there. Sinead couldn't help but be annoyed by that last statement. Why was it that every guy always seemed to be infatuated with the stereotypical blonde cheerleader type? Was intelligence worth nothing these days? It wasn't like _she_ was ugly_. _Guys should be all over _her. _And before she could stop herself, the words were out of her mouth.

"Uggghh, why do you have to be so _stupid_?"

"Huh?" Hamilton asked, hurt. What was that about?

Her entire being was screaming at her to stop talking, but Sinead wasn't about to stop now. "You don't get it, do you? She's just using you!"

Hamilton glanced back at her blankly, obviously confused. Sinead decided to make it more clear for him.

"She. Doesn't. Like. YOU!" she shrieked, jabbing him with each word. As if the pain he was feeling internally wasn't enough. She watched his face fall, and instantly regretted what she had said. Ned and Ted stared at her, mouths wide open. So she did the only thing she could think to do.

She ran.

* * *

><p><strong>And it's finished! What'd you guys think? Not my BEST chapter, a tad bit short, but hopefully not too bad ;)<strong>

**Hehehehehe, I have a feeling Sinead won't get too far. They ARE on a boat, after all- there's not much sapce to run :P**

**Wow, 75 reviews in 8 chapters- I'm proud :) Hopefully this number will just keep on growing... I'm almost at 100! :D**

**But anyway, read and review!**

**~Dog-lvR-11 :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi readers ;) How's it going?**

**I know, I know, I took a long time to update. One word; Exams. But, I finished them :D It took a lot of studying, but I think I did pretty well :) I only had two, but I have four next semester, so I'm not looking forward to that :/**

**But anyway, thank you to my chapter nine reviewers:**

**~IronShadow007**

**~Volcanic Lily**

**~NatalieKabra2002**

**~StuckInSpace**

**~Hiker Writer**

**~Amian 4ever**

**~Happyzen**

**~NatalieKRules**

**~KTRose12**

**~MadrigalGryffindor3**

**~BeautifulLove13**

**~Emily Starlight**

**~addicted2reading9**

**And here is chapter ten! XD**

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><p>What Sinead didn't take into consideration is that she was on a boat. And when you're on a boat, running isn't exactly a method that will get you very far. She managed to get perhaps around ten metres away from Hamilton before she reached the other side of the boat. For a brief moment, she considered jumping back into the water, but considering that would probably be the death of her, literally, the thought disappeared as quickly as it came. She slowly slid down the side of the boat, flopping onto the ground with an apparent lack of grace. She quickly glanced towards Hamilton, and when she saw he was returning her gaze, her glance quickly turned towards the ground. Why had she said that? She leaned backwards, deep in thought. She was usually so calculated, so calm. She was always able to use speech to her advantage, and yet she had completely failed to do that. But what had really bothered her was why exactly she cared SO much. Hamilton had set an explosion that had scarred her, blinded Ted and given Ned searing headaches. So why would she care if she hurt his <em>feelings<em>?

"Sinead?" A voice interrupted her train of thought, and she looked up to see Ned glancing down at her.

"What do you want?" she snapped, instantly regretting her sharp tone. Ned flinched before replying.

"Ummm... We're at the island now."

"Oh." She slowly got up, glancing at Ned. Ned managed a weak smile.

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay? This isn't the clue hunt. It's just some tickets. Say the word and we can go back home." Ted walked over beside him, nodding vigorously. Sinead was caught off guard by the heart behind his words. She smiled back at him.

"Thank you." She paused, and a glint appeared in her eyes. "But you know I never quit."

Ted grinned at her. "That's the Sinead we know and love! Now let's go win this thing!"

Sinead laughed. "Could you really expect any less from a Starling?"

_*Pagebreak*_

Hamilton was distracted. Could Sinead be right? Was Jenn just using him? After all, the Starlings weren't exactly known for being WRONG. But... he loved Jenn. He was doing this for _her. _Was that all she cared about? A stupid pair of tickets? His mind wandered back to one of their conversations.

_*Flashback*_

_After practice Hamilton hustled over to Jenn, sweaty and smiling. Jenn smiled back but it seemed... forced. Hamilton frowned but his smile returned when he remembered what he was about to tell his girlfriend._

_"Guess what?" He asked. Jenn glanced down at her manicured nails and then back up at Hamilton._

_"You know I don't guess, Hammy," she replied._

_Lines formed on Hamilton's forehead. "Oh, yeah. Well, anyway, guess who got us V.I.P tickets for Jesse McCartney!"_

_Jenn smiled. "Aww, Hammy, you shouldn't have!"_

_Hamilton beamed. "But I wanted to! Anything for my girl."_

_Jenn smiled sweetly at him. "So... where are the tickets?"_

_"Well, I..."_

_Jenn's smile faded. "You do have them, right?"_

_"Well, I have to do some scavenger hunt, but I'll get them. I'm sure of it."_

_Jenn wrinkled her nose. "Then WHY did you tell me?"_

_"I thought that you would have been excited..."_

_Jenn smiled again but this time it had lost its attempted warmth. "Call me when you have them," she said, and she turned around swifty and walked away._

_*End of Flashback*_

It was at that moment that it all clicked. Sinead was right, as usual. Jenn didn't love him. And she never had. You really _can_ trust no one.

"Ham!" Hamilton's thoughts were interrupted by the urgent call of his sisters. "C'mon! We're at the Island! It's time to get the next clue!" Hamilton was quickly snapped out of his reverie. Time to get the tickets for... And then it hit him. Was there really a reason to get those tickets? _He_ wasn't a Jesse McCartney fan. Was this whole scavenger hunt, all this drama, pointless? And yet, when he looked up at the expecting face of his father, he knew he had to finish what he had started. If not just for the pride of the Holt family. To be beat by an Ekat, well, that was just unheard of. They weren't going to add the Starlings onto the list of people they lost to, a list empty except for the names of two little Boston orphans.

"Coming!" he called, rushing towards them.

_*Pagebreak*_

Catalina Island was breathtaking. Throughout the Clue Hunt, Sinead had seen so many other spectacular sights, and yet she had never taken the time to truly enjoy them.

The sands were a gray-white, and sparkled under the sunlight. The temperature was a pleasant one, and the wildlife was amazing. She spotted a bald eagle in the distance, and couldn't help but smile at the bird's mystical qualities.

"Whoa," Ned muttered.

Ted, feeling left out, nudged his brother. "What is it?"

"Geez man, it's just breathtaking. The sand... And the nature.. Wow."

Ted scoffed. "Great description."

"The clue," Sinead exclaimed, cutting them off. She ran towards the clue box but was stopped in her path when she heard a distinct hissing sound. No... It couldn't be. Not now! She turned around, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw a rattle snake slithering towards her. She racked her brain, trying to come up with what she knew about rattlesnakes, which was fairly extensive. But she came up blank. The snake was drawing nearer, but she stood still, unable to think of another option. Soon, it was just mere inches from her. And then, it attacked.

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><p><strong>And there we go! So, what'd you think? Hammy finally realized that Jenn doesn't actually like him... Which makes the door wide open for a little Hinead action ;)<strong>

**I wonder what's gonna happen to Sinead with that rattlesnake... Any ideas?**

**Wow, chapter 10... Finally entered the double digits! I'm pretty proud ;)**

**So, R&R! I'll update when I get at least 100 reviews :D (Hehehehehe... Wow, triple digits! XD)**

**~Dog-lvR-11**

**P.S. Oh yeah, about the Natan contest. I'm still waiting for my co-author to read all the stories, but as soon as she does we'll decide the winners ;) So I'm hoping to post the results today, tomorrow at the latest.**

**P.P.S. Thanks to StuckInSpace for all the Catalina Island help (Sorry for my brief description... I was inspired by the rattlesnake part)!**


	11. Chapter 11

**102 reviews! Nice ;) So here's chapter 11, as promised :D**

**Thanks to all my chapter 10 reviewers:**

**~SqueakyDolphin6**

**~Fowlfan5 **

**~amianfan102**

**~Sanjita**

**~Hiker Writer**

**~addicted2reading9**

**~NatalieKabra2002**

**~MadrigalGryffindor3**

**~IronShadow007**

**~Volcanic Lily**

**~KTRose12**

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**~AnjolineEva**

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><p>Sinead braced herself for the snake's jaws, cowering on the spot, eyes tightly shut. She stood this way for around thirty seconds, growing somewhat impatient. If she was going to be bitten, she preferred to have it done and over with quickly. She eventually opened her eyes to discover the snake in front of her, immobile, and watched Hamilton walking away with a large stick, whistling. How had she not heard the Holt clubbing the snake? And more importantly, <em>why <em>had he done something like that for her when she had been so cruel to him? Hamilton took that oppurtunity to sneak a glance at Sinead, and noticed Sinead staring at the snake, wide-eyed. He didn't bother to try to mask the smile spreading across his face.

"What's the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost! Or perhaps a very large snake?"

Sinead felt her cheeks turning red, and shuffled her feet awkwardly. She mumbled something under her breath, so quietly that Hamilton barely heard her.

"What's that? I'm sorry, that just went right through my hollow head. Us Dolts, huh?" He was clearly enjoying himself, a bit too much for Sinead's taste. She glared him down before replying.

"I said thank you."

Hamilton put on a shocked expression, making a point of showing Sinead the phoniness behind the guesture.

"But what ever would _you_ be thankful to _me_ for?"

Sinead sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep her face expressionless. "For saving my life." She paused before adding. "Again."

Hamilton's smile grew even wider, if possible. "Two times in one day, huh, Starling? I think that's a record, even for you."

Sinead couldn't stop the small smile from emerging onto her face. Hamilton decided now would be a great time for another one of his oh-so-sincere shocked expressions.

"Did you just... smile? And it was sincere? And your face didn't shatter?"

Sinead shook her head at him, amused. "Hmmm, maybe I underestimated you, Holt. You do have some pretty witty comebacks."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Sinead's face quickly grew serious once more. "Listen Hamilton, what I said about Jenn, I didn't mean it, alright? I was just trying to throw you off your game so we could win." That wasn't exactly true, but Sinead figured that it was the right thing to say. Hamilton just shook his head sadly.

"No Sinead, you were right. Jenn doesn't love me. She's just been using me all along." Sinead looked him in the eyes, and was surprised at the pain she saw within them.

"Are you okay?"

Hamilton looked into the distance. "No, I'm not."

Sinead didn't know what to say. So she walked over and stood beside him, looking at the same views as he was.

"Isn't nature beautiful?"

"Yeah, it really is."

"You know, if you need someone, I'm here. This isn't the Clue Hunt. It's just a pair of Jesse McCartney tickets."

Hamilton smiled at her. "Why do you even like that guy, anyway?"

"I don't know. Have you ever heard that song 'Beautiful Soul'?"

Hamilton flinched. "Jenn... She loved that song." Sinead snorted.

"Seriously? That's so hypocritical!" Hamilton just smiled sadly, so she quickly added. "Sorry. I've been told I'm somewhat insensitive."

"You just figured that out now?" he asked. Sinead punched him playfully in the shoulder, and he just laughed.

"Really Starling? That's the best you can do?"

Sinead smiled. "Maybe." Hamilton smiled back.

"I'll let you get away with that. But just because you're a girl."

They sat in silence for a moment, absorbing all the beauty.

"You know," Hamilton said, breaking the silence, "I really loved her, Sinead."

Sinead managed a weak smile. "I know. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

Silence overtook the two once again, but this time Sinead interrupted it.

"I forgive you."

"Huh?"

"At the Franklin Institute. With the explosion. I know it wasn't your fault. I forgive you."

Hamilton couldn't believe his ears. He'd been waiting years to hear those words. He pulled Sinead into a tight bear hug, and Sinead chose not to struggle. That much.

It was at that moment that Ned and Ted chose to run over. "Hey, Sinead, we've got the next clue! We're going..." Ted stopped at a persistant nudge from his brother. "What?" he hissed.

"Sinead and Hamilton are hugging and being all lovey-dovey!" Hamilton quickly released Sinead, glaring at the two brothers. Sinead tried to mask the blush struggling to rise upon her cheeks, and she noticed Hamilton was doing the same. She rolled her eyes at her brothers, shoving them forward.

"Let's go," she told them. Ted smiled evilly.

"But what about your boyfriend?"

"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Sinead shouted. She noticed some nearby tourists glance in her direction, and she felt the blush starting to reappear. She sent her brothers a death glare, snatching the clue from Ted's hand.

"Hey! Stealing from a blind person? That's low! What's next? Taking candy from a baby?" Ted complained.

Sinead felt her teeth grinding together. "Just. Keep. Walking," she muttered, striding forward. Ned and Ted just shrugged, sprinting to catch up.

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><p><strong>Ta da! So, what'd you guys think? Personally, this has been one of my favourite chapters :) After all, it is chapter 11, and 11 is my favourite number ;)<strong>

**Sadly, this fanfic is only a few chapters away from the end. One last clue, and LOTS more Hinead action to come, though :P**

**But anyway, R&R, and you might get one more chapter before I have to return to school on Monday ;)**

**~Dog-lvR-11**

**P.S. To all of the Natan contest participants, the results have been posted ;) PM me to recieve your prizes :D**


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